Gas out on May 15th

[Steve]

I found this on another site:

im sure all saw this in our email but just helping to spread it around

Don't Pump Gas on May 15th


In April 1997, there was a "gas out" conducted nationwide in protest of gas prices.
Gasoline prices dropped 30 cents a gallon overnight.

On May 15th 2007, all are not to go to a gas station in protest of high gas prices. Gas is now well over $3.00 a gallon. if all does this it will drop alot.

If I don't buy gas on May 15th, I will have to head to the pump on the 16th, 17th, 18th, .... sooner or later I'll have to go.

[TrailLeadr]

This has been tried in past several times. It's never had an impact that I saw. Supposedly prices dropped .30cents. Somehow I think this would have gotten media attention, which it didn't. Nice idea to send a message, but it would be more effective if on the 15th everyone converted to an alternate fuel instead of attempt to not buy any gas.

The gas cos know you eventually need to buy it, and not buying for one day really isn't going to do anything. It's like your kid holding their breath because they want a chocolate bar. Even if you don't give in, your kid is eventually going to pass out, and start breathing again, and in the end they still didn't get what they wanted.
Same here.

[Steve]

This has been tried in past several times. It's never had an impact that I saw. Supposedly prices dropped .30cents. Somehow I think this would have gotten media attention, which it didn't. Nice idea to send a message, but it would be more effective if on the 15th everyone converted to an alternate fuel instead of attempt to not buy any gas.

The gas cos know you eventually need to buy it, and not buying for one day really isn't going to do anything. It's like your kid holding their breath because they want a chocolate bar. Even if you don't give in, your kid is eventually going to pass out, and start breathing again, and in the end they still didn't get what they wanted.
Same here.

I crown you king of colorful analogies! :frown: Your kid will look purple sooner or later.

Personally, I am in favor of some type of price regulation on major commoditied. Gas/Oil is a limited competitive field, not just everyone has the government's permission to build an oil refinery to start making gasoline. Therefore, those companies that do have the permissions should be limited in the amount of profit they can make. If the door opened up so more companies could make refineries ... then I say let competition lead the way.

[Pyro81]

The biggest problem with doing something like a "gas out" is we screw ourselves more than we screw big oil. Think about it, if trucks, ships, airplanes, trains, etc all said "**** it!" for a day and didn't get gas, our economy would go to hell in a hurry.
That, and everybody that anticipates this event will just go out the day before and fill em' up. Which would equal a spike in profits that the "gas out" dive in profit would just average it out to be normal profit. It's all pointless in the end.
And that's how you repeat something somebody else already said in a completely different way!

[terry0341]

They do it because they can! Profit is not a dirty word, However the gas compnies are trying real hard to change that!

[Steve]

Well again, becuase competition is artificially reduced (government regulations against builting new refineries) the ability to make a profit should be reduced as well.

Like in Texas, electric rates went up like 400% in 3 years. Why? The government de-regulated electric providers and there is only one major electric producer (TXU) suddently able to charge whatever they want. What are you going to do if you don't like TXU? Acme power can't run new power lines across town to provide me with cheaper power ... they have to use the TXU lines. It's the same with gasoline.

[griffon]

I heard a different idea on this sceem. Instead of not buying on one day just stop buying from big companys like Exxon or Mobil. That way they are forced to drop prices to get business back and everyone else will have to compeet

[TrailLeadr]

So today was the 15th. Who followed the "gas out" Who thinks that it had an impact? I'm not trying to be a smart a$$, I'm just curious what you all think.

[Steve]

I didn't buy any gas today, only becuase I didn't need to. We filled up the other day in the Trailblazer and I only use the Cavalier to commute, so I fill-up about every 2 weeks in that car.

Did anyone purposfully not buy gas today becuase of the gas-out? This story made national news, so just curious how it went???

[Steve]

I think the secret might be to attack ONE gas company. If everyone were to stop purchasing from one company, that company would feel a major financial crisis. That's not necessarily a bad idea actually, I'm going to think about this and maybe we can have this site be the central point of focus for this movement.

[TrailLeadr]

Woohoo! Let's do it.
How will you decide? Coin toss?

For it to work that company needs to be hit from every angle. For instance if it's Mobil, then stopping buying gas from them is only part of it. People should stop buying all of their products all together. (ie oil, gas, filters, etc.)

[Steve]

Who's up for something like that. It would have to be a major coast-to-coast outfit.

[TrailLeadr]

Who's up for something like that. It would have to be a major coast-to-coast outfit.
Any legal ramifications the site, or you should be concerned about by organizing this?

[Steve]

Any legal ramifications the site, or you should be concerned about by organizing this?

That would just be more publicity. :-) It's freedom of the press.

[tahoelegend]

I seen a mail that said leave exxon and shell gas alone to make the others to lower prices.. So I stopped using exxon..

[TrailLeadr]

I seen a mail that said leave exxon and shell gas alone to make the others to lower prices.. So I stopped using exxon..
I don't use their gas simply because they tend to not be price competitive around these parts. So they automatically got the boot first.

[terry0341]

Steve, that was a great idea about just picking one or two to stop buying from, we should promote that and try and get one of those pass it on e-mails that gets doubled or trippled in circulation each time a new person resends it!:great:

[Steve]

Should we start this up again? Just choose one and boycot it?